HARRISBURG, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — After two days of hearings, the Pennsylvania House Education Committee moved three bills aimed at addressing mental health issues among students. One, from Montgomery County Democrat Napoleon Nelson, would require school districts to recognize mental health days as an acceptable absence.
He says it prioritizes mental health and puts students and parents first.
"This bill says if the students say that what's best for them is to stay home, and the parents say that what's best for their child is to keep them home, the school district right now can't deny that and claim that as a truancy concern," Nelson said.
Nelson says some school districts already accept mental health as an excusable absence: "What we're doing now is taking the important step of codifying our state code so that all of our districts and all of our kids have the assurances that we appreciate their mental wellbeing."
Pennsylvania House Education Committee minority chair, Republican Jesse Topper, argued against the bill saying the districts that choose to accept it can continue without forcing others to do so.
"I echo the concerns brought forth by the Pennsylvania State Education Association, that time away from school and outside of the classroom could be detrimental to the student's progress," said Topper.
"School districts in and of themselves have the flexibility in regards to many of their attendance policies. I think we should keep that that where it is."
The bill moved out of the Education Committee on a party line vote, with all Democrats in favor and Republicans against.
After two days of hearings on mental health in schools, the committee advanced two other bills, one on party lines that would require districts to establish a comprehensive school counseling plan, another would require districts to put a suicide hotline number on student IDs for 6th-though-12th graders passed unanimously.
The bills head to the full House for consideration.
